TMC councillor quits chairperson post day after notice to Abhishek Banerjee
Trinamool Congress councillor Debalina Biswas resigned as chairperson of KMC's Borough 9, citing pressure from the party leadership after civic notices were issued to properties linked to Abhishek Banerjee.
Trinamool Congress councillor Debalina Biswas resigned as Chairperson of Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s Borough No. 9, triggering political speculation after her resignation letter surfaced on Monday. The development comes a day after the TMC-controlled Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) issued notices to 17 properties associated with Abhishek Banerjee.
In a handwritten resignation letter dated May 19 and addressed to KMC Chairperson Mala Roy, Biswas said she was stepping down from the Borough Committee chairperson’s post but would continue as councillor of Ward 74.
“I have sent a letter to Mala Roy resigning from the position. I have taken this decision with the intention of remaining a Councillor and continuing to work for the people of my locality,” Biswas told India Today.
She added, “I have held the post for quite some time, but now I am stepping aside. I am doing this entirely for party-related reasons.”
Biswas claimed that Trinamool Congress leaders and the party’s top brass pressured her after KMC served notices to Abhishek Banerjee over alleged illegal construction at his residence.
“I wasn’t even aware when the notice went out yesterday. Suddenly, calls started coming in late at night. I felt, ‘No, this is not right.’ I do not believe it is appropriate for the party to force someone to make false statements or to compel them under pressure to do things against their will,” she said.
“A cover-up is not the right approach. We need to ask: Why did this happen? How did it happen? Who was responsible?” Biswas added.
“He should be suspended—after all, you are the Chairperson of the Borough Committee. I replied, I may indeed be the Chairperson, but how am I supposed to do that? These matters do not fall within my jurisdiction,” she said.
Of the 17 addresses linked to Abhishek Banerjee’s company and family that received KMC notices, 14 fall under Borough 9, which Biswas chaired. She said calls from party leaders began on Monday night after the notices were issued. The BJP has alleged that Abhishek Banerjee holds multiple illegal properties in the city.
Political observers linked Biswas’s resignation to the Trinamool Congress defeat in Bhabanipur, which falls under Borough 9. In the May 4 election results, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lost the seat to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari by 15,105 votes.
Sources in the TMC said the party trailed in four of the five KMC wards, 71, 73, 74, 77 and 82, in the constituency. The BJP also secured leads in several Borough 9 booths.
A section of TMC leaders claimed that Biswas resigned at the behest of a faction within the party’s top leadership. Sources close to Biswas said she stepped down after accepting “moral responsibility” and to “revitalise and strengthen the party’s organisational structure”, while continuing as councillor.
Biswas said her resignation has not yet been officially accepted.
Trinamool Congress councillor Debalina Biswas resigned as Chairperson of Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s Borough No. 9, triggering political speculation after her resignation letter surfaced on Monday. The development comes a day after the TMC-controlled Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) issued notices to 17 properties associated with Abhishek Banerjee.
In a handwritten resignation letter dated May 19 and addressed to KMC Chairperson Mala Roy, Biswas said she was stepping down from the Borough Committee chairperson’s post but would continue as councillor of Ward 74.
“I have sent a letter to Mala Roy resigning from the position. I have taken this decision with the intention of remaining a Councillor and continuing to work for the people of my locality,” Biswas told India Today.
She added, “I have held the post for quite some time, but now I am stepping aside. I am doing this entirely for party-related reasons.”
Biswas claimed that Trinamool Congress leaders and the party’s top brass pressured her after KMC served notices to Abhishek Banerjee over alleged illegal construction at his residence.
“I wasn’t even aware when the notice went out yesterday. Suddenly, calls started coming in late at night. I felt, ‘No, this is not right.’ I do not believe it is appropriate for the party to force someone to make false statements or to compel them under pressure to do things against their will,” she said.
“A cover-up is not the right approach. We need to ask: Why did this happen? How did it happen? Who was responsible?” Biswas added.
“He should be suspended—after all, you are the Chairperson of the Borough Committee. I replied, I may indeed be the Chairperson, but how am I supposed to do that? These matters do not fall within my jurisdiction,” she said.
Of the 17 addresses linked to Abhishek Banerjee’s company and family that received KMC notices, 14 fall under Borough 9, which Biswas chaired. She said calls from party leaders began on Monday night after the notices were issued. The BJP has alleged that Abhishek Banerjee holds multiple illegal properties in the city.
Political observers linked Biswas’s resignation to the Trinamool Congress defeat in Bhabanipur, which falls under Borough 9. In the May 4 election results, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lost the seat to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari by 15,105 votes.
Sources in the TMC said the party trailed in four of the five KMC wards, 71, 73, 74, 77 and 82, in the constituency. The BJP also secured leads in several Borough 9 booths.
A section of TMC leaders claimed that Biswas resigned at the behest of a faction within the party’s top leadership. Sources close to Biswas said she stepped down after accepting “moral responsibility” and to “revitalise and strengthen the party’s organisational structure”, while continuing as councillor.
Biswas said her resignation has not yet been officially accepted.
